Spice and Atmospheric Water Phenomena
by quirky21
Summary: aka SAWP. Even Umbrella has secrets from itself. Anise Barrows, ofc, tossed in to adjust the storyline because Rain dying just sucked. Solid plot, sassy ofc, cannibal zombies, and generous helpings of Rain awesomeness. Fully revised and better than ever! Sequel up!
1. Organic Fluids

A/N - This story came about because Rain dying sucked! Rain is too badass to die like that! :P  
SAWP follows the basic storyline of the first movie, with exception that Rain survives. "To Follow Her Own Path" is the sequel to this story. "What Floats Rain's Boat" is a collection of side-shots that expand on SAWP. "The Apocalypse Meets Rain" is a companion piece, set during RE: Apocalypse.

Standard disclaimers apply, I don't own Resident Evil, just borrowing for entertainment purposes only.  
This is rated M for violence, horror, sexual themes, and the usual shit.

story revision complete!

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_Blue is the virus._

_Green is the antivirus._

_Red is the cure._

**Chapter 1**

_**Organic Fluids**_

Her skull screamed, her mouth was full of cotton, and her body felt like old leather. Two gummy eyes focused on the floor next to her face. A sticky puddle of drool greeted her. Disgusted, she pulled back her upper lip and curled her tongue, rolling her eyes, and groaning. "Ugh, nasty."

Awful was a good start to describing how superbly wretched she felt. Comparing her current state to the slow, torturous death by salting defenseless, gooey slugs was a good second. Although she felt like shriveling up and turning into a salty puddle, the woman pulled herself to a sitting position, her pale hand scrubbing the drool from her round chin. Looking around, she blinked groggily and groaned, trying to figure out where she was. Pipes and tubes littered the floor, running between tall, reinforced steel containers. Steam rolled along the ground, exhaust vented from the containers. Ah, 'dining hall B'.

Jackhammers started pounding inside her skull, and she finally recognized the foul taste in her mouth. Rancid alcohol plus morning breath caked her tongue. Yummy. A bottle glinted in the low lighting near her foot. With a grunt, she kicked it maliciously, sending it clattering away. The sudden movement made her stomach flop. Grimacing to keep from gagging, she held her head with one hand and used the other to haul her woozy body up.

"Damned moronic idea I had." She complained. Standing turned out to be another bad idea. Her upset stomach rebelled and clenched, forcing up sour tequila and mostly digested goop. The mess splashed next to the puddle of drool and merged with it.

"Fucking gross." She spat to be rid of the lingering bits in her mouth. The hungover woman took a deep breath to calm her raging stomach. Her lungs filled and she took in the scents of the shadowy room. Machinery, warm metal and industrial lubricants, mildew, chemicals, cleaning solvents, organic fluids, and something _other_ that came from the creepy things incubating in the steel and concrete cages. In other words, it was a fragrant bouquet that had the woman bent over and retching again.

Empty stomach syndrome led to dry heaves. Several moments of unpleasant heaving passed. Eventually, the muscle spasms ceased, allowing her to breathe without gagging. Her vomit had not improved the smell of the place and she grimaced.

"Why did it have to be tequila? The bastard could have brought me vodka. It's not as bad coming back up." She muttered to herself. Said bastard was her cohort in maintenance. Juan had smuggled her in a bottle of Patrón for her 25th birthday.

Smooth, but still tequila, awful, disgusting, nauseating tequila. She had accepted it gratefully, given her friend a swift hug and kiss on his cheek, then snuck off to enjoy her private party. Evading her keepers, an affectionate term for her team, with her birthday gift that would "inhibit her body's performance" was her idea of fun. Luckily, the spunky woman had managed to sneak away into 'dining hall B' without detection. It really wasn't such a hard feat. She still had that hacking program on her tablet, and people tended to avoid her when she wore her favorite 'mischief smile'. Too many of her coworkers had been victims of her and Juan's schemes and knew to avoid being collateral damage.

A smile touched her lips, the hangover and eventual discipline, probably several extra miles on the treadmill, would be worth the look on her keepers' faces. The image of Dr. Belst's livid, yet worried face made her chuckle. His waxed mustache twitched when he was mad. It never failed to amuse her, so she was constantly working to piss him off just to watch his mustache come alive.

Checking her watch, she gasped to realize she had managed to hide for a full six hours. The man should have found her drunkenly asleep and drooling hours ago. "Oh well, maybe he's getting some from that new assistant he's been slobbering over." She chuckled again, then grimaced at the ache in her head. "Stupid hyped up metabolism. Three hours of sleep is not long enough. I was _hammered_! I should still be hammered. I miss sleeping more than six hours at a time." She paused her self-pitying monologue to consider. "At least the hangover will be over soon too. But why couldn't I have slept my usual five?"

Looking around the room of concrete, strange containers, and pipes didn't reveal any new information. It looked as weird and horror-film-esque as usual. Sounded the same too. Pumps pushed fluids through tubes and piping, fans and ventilators hummed, electricity buzzed, the _things_ breathed and twitched, yep, altogether normal. The woman shrugged and started to wobble her way to the exit.

CLANG!

She jumped, stumbled, and fell on her ass. "The hell?!" The noise had been distant but she'd still felt the vibration through the ground. Like something huge had fallen a long, long way and its crash had sent out tremors. The lights overhead flickered, once. She bolted to her feet, terrified of being trapped in _this _room in the dark. Her hangover forgotten the woman raced to the sealed exit. Trembling fingers punched in the code to leave and got the green approved light.

The massive double doors remained closed. She tried the code again. It flashed red this time. Whimpering in fear, she kept trying unsuccessfully until she heard the unmistakable voice of the AI of the Hive. The all powerful Red Queen. A young girl's voice that had a British accent, lightly lyrical and downright scary. "Ms. Barrows, opening this door would result in your certain death. I cannot allow that."

"Death? What the hell? Doc Belst can't be that pissed at me."

"Doctor Belst would not be the cause of your demise. Do not attempt to leave this area."

"Oh fuck that." The woman named Barrows reached into the shoulder bag that always accompanied her. From it, she drew a flat-head screwdriver that she jammed into the side of the panel and popped the keyplate off. Barrows traded her screwdriver for a tablet computer and adapter cables that she attached to the exposed wiring. Before she could even boot up her hacking program an electric charge traveled over the cables, fried the tablet, and shocked the hell out of Barrows.

"Ms. Barrows, I repeat, I cannot allow you to leave. Your death is not acceptable."

"Frying my ass isn't acceptable!" She screeched. The scent of burned plastic assaulted her sinuses. Unhappily, she gazed at the bubbled, blackened husk of her once-white iPad. Her fingers flexed, and she rubbed her hands together, testing the damage and trying to wipe away the sunburned-esque sensation of an electrical burn.

"That level of discharge was not enough to permanently injure you."

"Not enough to..." Barrows clenched her jaw and dug out her trusty flat-head again. She wedged the head between the door halves, attempting to pry the heavy steel doors apart. Red Queen was silent. All the woman heard was her own ragged breathing and the squeak of the wiggling tool. Sweat made her palms slick, and her grip was loose at best. Adrenaline and fear made her stomach twist and muscles ache. The pounding in her head was getting worse. The tool's tip suddenly slipped in about an inch, enough to bring out a little 'yes!'.

Barrows threw her weight against the tool to lever the doors open. She felt it shudder just before the stem snapped. The sudden lack of resistance threw the woman into the unforgiving wall where her head connected with concrete. "Owww." She mumbled crossly. The pounding in her head mutated into a feral dog barking and growling at every small movement. Feeling her stomach protest, she closed her eyes, and counted to ten before opening them. From her sitting position, she glared at the little bit of ragged metal still wedged in tight. Fucker was taunting her. Keeping her bleary eyes open was getting to be painful so she closed them again and concentrated on her breathing.

Squeeaak.

An eye opened to squint at the sound. When the broken metal wiggled, Barrows opened both eyelids to glare at it. Twin doors twitched and snapped together. The force flung the tool head to the floor, where it landed with a cheerful _tink_.

"I want a crowbar," she plaintively moaned.

"A crowbar would get you killed." If Barrows didn't know better, she would swear the AI sounded triumphant. "You are shaking, your metabolism requires you to consume nourishment."

Barrows flipped the bird at the camera in the corner. Her rebellious gesture shivered and so did her arm. The silicon bitch had a point. She sighed and dug into her bag to grab a canteen and a Snickers bar. With that to occupy her mouth, she contented herself with staring daggers at the Red Queen's optics. She listened to the familiar sounds of the dining hall, her own chewing, and the... The what?

"The hell?" She swallowed her mouthful and listened. Was that? No. Couldn't be. She pressed her ear against the cool steel. The sounds were faint, but her impressive ears still caught them floating down the stairs. It sounded like... No.

CLANG! Minute tremors vibrated through her legs and butt.

She flinched and cried out. "What the hell was that?"

"The second elevator collided with the bottom of the shaft. As of now, you are the only human within this facility still breathing."

Barrows gasped. Her sugary breakfast threatened to come back up. She choked it down along with a sob and skittered back from the door. Her eyes locked onto the little scratches made from her screwdriver. Beyond the doors, she had heard them. Screaming for their lives. And now, now she heard silence. She was alone. The Red Queen did not speak again.


	2. Sanitation Squad

A/N - Revised 28 Aug 2012. Not much has changed, just a few tweaks, added detail, and improved structure.

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**Chapter 2**

_**Sanitation Squad**_

Large pipes carrying hot water snaked over the ground and warmed the air around them. At a conjunction of several, was a bubble of warmth that was enough to stave off the penetrating chill of the underground Hive. In the shadowy corner, the woman had taken advantage of the bubble and curled up to take a nap.

Barrows awoke with a start, blinking and looking around uncertainly. She groaned upon realizing where she was and uncurled from the fetal position she had fallen asleep in. "Fuck me." Sitting up and stretching out the kinks in her neck, she brooded, "Maybe it was a nasty tequila dream?" But she couldn't see her empty bottle of Patrón. "Dammit, no, I..."

Abruptly the doors swished open. Heavy boots clumping on the concrete floor echoed in her ears. Her heart flipped in joy. There were people still alive! She made to stand up and call out. The badges catching the light on the commandos' arm-sleeves had her mouth clamping shut. _Sanitation_, they proclaimed. Shit. Were they there to finish the job the Red Queen started? A buzz of dismal thoughts filled Barrows mind. She pressed herself back into the shadows, listening to the squad fan out into the room.

"Kaplan." A deep male voice commanded.

"Dining hall 'B'," another male replied. "It's what it says on the map."

Barrows silently snickered. They obviously weren't well-informed.

"Did anyone else notice the key-plate was fucked up?" A woman this time. Shit and more shit. Barrows hoped that the sight of her dangling, destroyed tablet wouldn't piss off the people with guns.

"Yea." She heard boots move away to investigate. The light tenor of a male voice responded. "There's a tablet computer attached. Looks like it was fried by an electric charge. Someone was probably trying to hack the security system. It's useless now. We won't be able to pull anything from the melted hard drive."

The leader demanded, "Is the key-pad operational?"

There was a brief silence. Everyone, especially Barrows, waited with baited breath. She heard the scrape of metal and clatter of her iPad being tossed to the floor.

"Yes, sir. It's good to go."

"Good." The deep voice approved.

Barrows peeked from her cover to look at the commandos. A few civilians were with them. Startled, she looked the three over. There were two men casually dressed, both in excellent shape. One was in a blue button-up shirt and dress slacks, with his hands behind his back. He looked fairly young, probably a few years Barrows' junior, and she didn't have a clue who he was.

The other she recognized as an Umbrella security operative. Spence Parks. Asshole extraordinaire. He was married to the Chief of Security, the woman standing next to him. She wore a dark leather jacket, obviously too large for her, over a slinky red dress. Guess a hot date was interrupted, Barrows mused. She had met the Chief once, her name was Alice. Barrows had been introduced to Alice as just another lab assistant, like everyone outside the project knew her, named Anise. Only the Red Queen called Anise, Ms. Barrows. Everyone used first names in the Hive because the Psych Department said it helped keep up morale while stuck underground like blind little moles.

The unknown man spoke up. "Maybe the Corporation is keeping a few secrets down here. Something you're not supposed to see." Immediately, Anise decided the man in the blue shirt was going to be her friend. He obviously wasn't just another idiot brainwashed by Umbrella's bullshit slogan: _Our Business is Life Itself_. Anise liked people that weren't complete morons.

Spence would be her friend in a cold day in Hell. Their several run ins were never comfortable, generally explicitly unpleasant. Pranks played throughout her career at Umbrella usually ended up with Spence yelling at her. Anise delighted in how many shades of red she could get Spence's face to turn. So far, he always lacked the evidence to discipline her. He hated her for good reason, at least.

Befriending Alice might work. During their one meeting, when the Chief was new and trying to meet everyone who worked in the Hive, she had seemed serious, intelligent, capable, open-minded, fair, and that of course, was sexy as hell. With her pretty green eyes and nice butt to look at, Barrows was willing to ignore that Alice worked for Umbrella. If it got her out of the Hive, she was willing to overlook a lot. She turned her thoughts to the squad in black uniforms covered in guns and other gear. What were their mission parameters?

"JD, you and Rain keep the prisoner here and secure the exit." So, the big guy was in charge. The prisoner was the man in blue. No wonder his arms were behind his back. Handcuffed. Why was he a prisoner? Her multitude of questions were having baby questions in bulk.

A woman commando, hidden behind a container, spoke, "Sir, Halon levels are non-existent in this room. Could be a system malfunction."

Or a malfunctioning, psychotic AI bitch, Anise thought.

"All right. There may be survivors. Give me a search line, but keep it tight." Leader Commando ordered the team.

Searching for survivors, huh? She wondered if now was a good time to say hello. Scrubbing a hand through her sleep-mussed hair, Barrows decided to watch and wait a little longer. Learn what she could by eavesdropping and maybe just follow the squad out of the Hive. She liked the idea of leaving Umbrella very, very far behind.

Sneaking around the perimeter was easy enough. Keeping her body in top condition was key for the project she was involved in. That entailed rigorous physical and psychological training that was borrowed and adapted from Umbrella's Spec Ops Training. Dr. Belst's backers thought it was good sense to teach Project Afterthought's main subject how to defend herself and others. They wanted her to survive any situation and a healthy body was easier to measure results by.

Quietly, she avoided the squad's movements around the room. It was easy once she nimbly climbed on top of a box, flattened herself, and breathed softly. She watched them move with a precision and ease that only came with time spent working together. This squad had obviously been in action many times. The commander held himself confidently. He knew his team and trusted them to do their job. One, she read on his name tag. One what? An odd nickname, she mused.

She watched One's measured stride toward Alice. He slipped up beside her, startling the transfixed woman. Alice had gotten curious and stepped up to look into a container's viewport. She had been mesmerized by the _thing_ inside. Anise felt goosebumps prick her flesh at the memory of peeking into the containers. She had had nightmares for weeks and swore to never look inside again.

"I said, 'keep it tight'."

"Sorry." The Chief whispered. "I'm not sure I wanna remember what went on down here." Alice was plainly worried. Anise blinked, confused. How could the Chief forget about shit she didn't know about? She didn't know about Project Afterthought or what the _things_ were. Did she? And why the hell would she have forgotten, anyway? The questions' babies were breeding like rabbits in her mind.

"I don't blame you." One was freaked out too, though his command mask hid it well. The black man's stoicism impressed Anise. He turned away and led the main group toward the Red Queen's core.

The three left in the room delighted Barrows by chatting about the married couple's amnesia. It made up for how the hard steel was digging into her ribs, knees, and chin. Cage tops were not comfortable spying perches. At a break in the conversation, the hidden woman thought she heard screaming again. Convinced her mind was screwing with her and not wanting to contemplate what it could mean, she ignored it and paid closer attention to the trio.

She listened eagerly as she learned how the Mansion, that guarded another entrance to the secret facility, had backup security measures in addition to the married operatives that lived there. In an emergency, a gas was released into the air that incapacitated everyone inside. Its side effects, besides nausea and possible constipation, included temporary amnesia that could last anywhere from a few hours to several days. She agreed with Rain, the gorgeous, petite, Latina commando, that would 'fuckin blow'.

Rain picked at her nails with a combat knife, and JD kept an alert eye on their surroundings. The two squadmates exchanged guesses on how long the amnesia would last. JD asked their prisoner what he thought, who shrugged. The Italian-looking man pouted, and turned back to his companion. Rain told him not to bother with the prisoner, that he'd probably just lie again, like he was about being a cop. Anise examined the prisoner thoughtfully. His clothes looked like a detective's, and his brilliant blue eyes held a sharp intelligence that argued with his youthful face. It wouldn't be the first time someone had tried to investigate what Umbrella kept hidden from the public. At one point, Anise thought that maybe the prisoner had seen her. He didn't say anything and didn't look toward her again, so she relaxed.

The direction of conversation changed. JD wanted to know what the freaky _things_ were. Anise briefly considered telling him that she knew and wished she was as ignorant. Doc Belst had thought it best that Anise knew why their project was so important. It was the main reason she had volunteered. The T-virus was too damn dangerous. She dismissed the idea of sharing her knowledge since she still had not decided if she could trust the commandos. Really, she preferred to keep her body free of bullet holes and her hands out of handcuffs. Shit. She wasn't a fan of getting tied up during sex, let alone having some Umbrella operative do it.

Anise was distracted from watching the commandos when the lights flicked off. She cringed, she did not like the place when it was well-lit. The green lights on all the containers clicked to red, proclaiming _environment unstable_. Everything was suddenly very quiet, and she could plainly hear the beast trapped in the cage beneath shift and breathe heavily. Distantly, she could hear mechanical clicks and the sounds of systems disengaging, doors unlocking. Not fast enough, the power switched back on, doing little to quell the pit of fear developing in Anise's stomach.

"They're late," JD proclaimed. Anise wondered how the hell he was so calm. Rain wasn't calm, she was fucking bored. The borrowed Spec Ops training certainly had not taught Anise how to act like a badass in terrifying situations. She was extremely jealous until she considered they might not know the situation was supposed to be terrifying.

A metallic noise pulled her from further dismal thoughts. "I got it." Rain volunteered to investigate, apparently happy for a reason to hold her big ass gun. Anise was jealous again, mostly of the gun though. She imagined other things the attractive woman could do with her tan and shapely hands and sighed lightly. Daydreaming was good for her health, she justified.


	3. Almost Dead

A/N - Revised 28 Aug 2012

* * *

**Chapter 3**

_**Almost Dead**_

Rain stalked between the rows of containers, her gun aimed steadily ahead of her. Anise watched the woman, and her eyes drifted to that black-clad, muscled derriere. The soldier oozed sexy confidence, and her body was taut and beautiful, even hidden by all that gear and cloth. Anise smiled at the sight, thinking of how she couldn't help admiring such a fine female specimen.

The metal rang again, reminding her of the present. Her smile disappeared. Anise craned to see in front of Rain. Rain disappeared in the distance, then immediately cried out, "JD! We got a survivor!" The commando's voice grew soft talking to whoever it was, "It's OK we're here to help."

Anise was stumped. The Red Queen had said she was the only one left alive. Was she lied to? Who could it be?

JD was already moving in the direction Rain had gone and his prisoner followed closely. Anise rolled over and hopped down to the floor. She wanted to see too, but still stayed out of sight. A rasping moan reached her hears and she couldn't yet see, so she mounted another box to gain a vantage point. What Anise saw made her knees weak and she almost fell off.

It was her friend Terri, from another project. They almost always had lunch together and had gotten Anise for her birthday a box of exotic dark chocolate that she had had imported from France.

The two women were very close. Anise was privy to most everything about Terri's life, her sweet husband, her infant kids she sometimes babysat. Terri knew almost everything about Anise, her parents, a brother, awful dates with women who just wanted cheap fucks or could not keep up with Anise intellectually. She had not once asked why Anise never left Raccoon City. She had just accepted Anise as she was. They were friends despite the Umbrella-enforced secrets they kept from each other.

Terri never appeared anywhere without meticulous makeup, a smile full of sparkly teeth, freshly ironed clothes, and easy demeanor. Her labcoat was stained and rumpled, her complexion was pale and sickly, her gums were discolored, and she was snarling. The woman looked like absolute shit. There was something definitely wrong with her. Anise whimpered at the thought of what could have caused Terri's awful makeover.

Biting Rain's hand and ripping out a chunk, being shoved off, and coming back for seconds stole away any remnant of hope from Anise. Her legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the cage, watching as Rain wrestled with a deranged Terri. JD appeared and Rain yelled at him, "Get her off of me before I stab her ass!" Numb, Anise watched as JD yanked Terri off of his angry squadmate.

"Stay down, I'm warning you. Stay. Down." JD was aiming his gun at the scientist. He shot her in one leg and looked up to see her reaction. Terri's body flinched, and started moving toward him again. So he shot the other leg. That also failed to stop the woman. He gaped at her, then started to empty his magazine into her chest. Terri kept upright until Rain whipped up her own heavy gun and opened fire. The force of the impacts lifted Terri off her feet and sent her flying backward.

JD was incredulous. His thick black eyebrows practically disappeared into his curly hair. "I shot her five times. How is she still standing?"

"Bitch ain't standing now," Rain still managed to sound bored, if slightly irritated. She repositioned her gun on its strap so she could take out a bandage to wrap her bleeding hand.

Anise wanted to take that bandage, wrap it around the arrogant commando's neck and strangle her. That _bitch_ was her friend! Terri was a sweet woman. No one ever called her a bitch. Rain had the nerve to kill her friend and call her names? Anise was outraged and shocked. It was easier than thinking about why Terri had taken mortal wounds and ignored them. It was too awful. The idea that... No. She was angry at Rain.

Spence, Alice, and a man in a black uniform chose that moment to appear. They had been running and were panting lightly.

"What was all the shooting?" The faintly sweating commando asked.

Rain responded dryly, "We found a survivor."

"And you shot him?" The man's voice shot up an octave, his boyish face frowning.

Anise registered his shock, realizing the squad's mission wasn't to finish the Red Queen's killing spree. Not that it stopped that bitch, Rain, from killing Terri.

"She was crazed. She bit me." Rain held up her bandaged hand, the blood already soaking through the gauze.

"She's gone." Everyone turned to look at JD. He pointed to where Terri's body should be.

No. No. No. Anise whimpered. Her worst nightmares had come to life. Her friend wasn't quite dead.

Half listening while she scanned the area for Terri's body, she heard them discuss the coagulated blood on the ground. The blood that was from the scientist's wounds. Someone explained how it wasn't possible for someone alive to bleed coagulated blood. Only dead people's blood was clotted and gooey like that. She heard the growing chorus of raspy moaning just as she spotted Terri's body stumbling around a dozen yards away. Tears blurred her vision. She cursed the Umbrella commandos for not shooting Terri in the head.

Anise blinked and wiped at her wet eyes. At a glance, she realized the small group and herself were surrounded by moaning, awful versions of her friends, coworkers, and acquaintances from the Hive. They were all infected by the T-virus, dead, but not quite down for the count. And they were hungry. Irrationally, unstoppably hungry. Anise flicked her eyes back to Terri, who was once again approaching Rain. "You better fucking shoot her in the head this time," she whispered.

Rain gaped at the approaching woman, her body riddled with bullet holes she did not notice. Only intense training and experience brought her hands up to grasp Terri's jaw and head and _twist_.

SNAP. Snap. CRUNCH. POP.

Anise heard every ligament that tore and every bone that broke. Her stomach threatened mutiny again as her friend went down. She managed to keep control of her stomach with the knowledge that Terri would not rise again. The only survivor of the Hive closed her eyes and decided not to kill Rain. The squad opened fire on the approaching infected. Everything after became a blur.

Chaos reigned. The infected were suddenly everywhere. Their hungry mouths reached for fresh meat. Anise could see the squad holding their own and nodded in satisfaction. The poor, unarmed civilians, however, were barely dodging arms and teeth. She had to help. She'd be damned if she watched some poor victim get eaten alive when she could do something. Anise grabbed her only weapon and literally jumped into the fray.

Trusty screwdriver, with its sharply broken shaft, became lodged in the skull of a man that had asked her out once. Her momentum carried them both to the ground. Gracefully, she rose from her crouch to dispatch another infected pinning Alice to a cage. The Chief of Security blinked in surprise at her sudden rescue. Alice offered her a small grin before engaging another of the undead mob.

"Bash their heads," Anise yelled. "Or break their necks." A sickening crack responded, and Anise risked a glance over to see Alice slamming a head into unforgiving steel. Awesome. She knew there was a reason she liked the blonde Chief.

The two women stayed close until Anise spied an ax on the ground. She couldn't resist the chance of a better weapon than her sadly broken screwdriver. Like a knife, she threw the tool into an infected snarling between herself and the ax. She dove for the hefty weapon and came up swinging. That homophobic bitch didn't need her head anymore. It bounced away, disappearing into the carnage.

Spying Alice again, she made her way toward the woman. Anise gasped when Alice fell from sight. When the Chief came back up, pulling the man in blue with her, Anise's breath came back. The man rubbed his raw wrists, so he must have lost the handcuffs. Good for him. She axed a few infected blocking her way to the living people. Alice and the man both appeared startled and confused by the unusual woman coming their way, not trying to eat them. "You're real." The man gaped.

"Matt, do you know her?"

"No, but I saw her earlier, hiding."

That answered that. She avoided answering the questions she could see in their eyes. "Yea, hi. I'm Anise. Let's get the fuck out of here." Anise jerked her head in the direction of possible safety. The commandos were nowhere to be seen, although they could hear gunfire and screaming from the other end of the room. Anise headed in the direction of the closer door. It would lead up to the labs and eventually freedom.

Jogging through the cages, her bag lightly bouncing on her hip, the ax ready in her hands, she quickly left the infected behind. Once, she looked back and Alice was still behind her. Matt had disappeared. She continued on through empty hallways and offices until she made it to a familiar lab. Somewhere along the way she had lost Alice too.

"Well, shit." She grumbled when she noticed. Being alone sucked. Shoving the unpleasant idea from her thoughts, she focused on the more practical. Thirst was making her saliva thick and unpleasant, and that lone Snickers bar had been hours ago. Her body demanded and it wanted sustenance. NOW.

Anise ransacked her personal mini fridge. From it, she pulled the remains of her birthday dinner spaghetti, apples, the chocolates from Terri, water, and a dozen juices. Knowing her meal could be interrupted at any time, she locked herself in the small room. She washed her hands and face of filth before shoveling food in her mouth. The T-virus wasn't a threat to Project Afterthought's prize subject, so infected blood wasn't a threat to her life. That didn't mean that she wanted to eat goopy blood and brain matter with her awesome spaghetti. She coiled spaghetti around her fork and sucked it down. So good.

Her ramped up metabolism was such a hindrance sometimes. Anise grumbled silently about how she was stuck in a horrific situation that had her weeping like a schoolgirl and chopping the heads off of her friends, and her damn stomach was hungry. She ate two apples and her spaghetti, then guzzled a pint of pineapple juice. Sated, she stuffed her bag full of food and the rest of her liquids. Never knew how long she'd be stuck underground; her stomach ruled before achy shoulders from a heavy bag. She indulged in her decadent chocolates and silently said goodbye to Terri.

The sound of gunfire pulled her from her reverie. It was close. Very close. That meant someone was alive, and there were infected nearby too. Anise popped another chocolate in her mouth. She grabbed her gory ax, and peered through the glass windows before poking her head out the door.

Scanning the corridor, she saw one dead man stumble toward her. She thought about his name, then shook herself and buried the ax between his eyes. The crunch and slurping as she pulled the blade out gave her stomach cause to rebel. The woman swallowed, hurriedly turning away. Looking up, she flinched at seeing another person suddenly so close. Her ax was swinging again before she recognized Alice.

Luckily, the security operative had fast reflexes. She ducked and sidestepped, bringing up her empty hands. "Stop!" Alice was shaken, her eyes wide and frightened.

"Sorry, Alice," Anise muttered, shouldering the weapon. It was embarrassing that someone had managed to sneak up on her, with _her _awesome hearing. She felt her cheeks heat up with a blush. "Did you hear the gunfire?"

"Yea. That was me."

Anise raised an eyebrow in question. The other woman didn't indulge her with the story. "OK..." She shifted awkwardly.

Alice met her eyes, and seemed to steady herself before asking, "You called me Alice. Am I supposed to know you?"

Taken aback, Anise blinked a few times before responding. "Um. Yes. No. Not really. We talked once. Couple years ago."

"My name is Alice?"

"Yes." Anise looked away. She couldn't meet the intense gaze anymore. Her eyes shifted around the area. Nothing was moving and no questionable sounds reached her ears. She felt Alice's continued stare and looked back up.

"I think I remember your face." Anise's heart plummeted. She did not want to be recognized, dammit. She wanted out of this hell hole. If Umbrella's upper management found out she was more than a useful lab assistant or that Project Afterthought existed, well shit. They wouldn't want her in the public's hands. It could ruin their profit margin. The morons in charge would keep her as company property and she would never see the surface again. Anise liked sunshine and trees and grass and kitties and playing Frisbee in the park too much for that to happen.

"How did you survive?"

Dammit. Questions bred like rabbits in everyone's heads.


	4. Truth or Dare

A/N - Revised 31Aug 2012

* * *

**Chapter 4**

_**Truth or Dare**_

Patiently waiting for an answer, Alice tucked her hands into her jacket pockets.

"I dunno." Rubbing her neck and looking away, Anise hedged. "Luck of the draw?"

Alice definitely looked like she wanted a better explanation. Damn security operatives and their gut instincts.

Sounds of a struggle caught Anise's attention. It was a great excuse to avoid answering the question. "You hear that?"

"What?" Worry returned to Alice's pretty green eyes. The Chief's inferior senses hadn't detected the faint noise. Another perk from Afterthought, Anise mused, unbelievably awesome hearing.

"It sounds like a fight. Let's check it out." Alice's face, as she looked up at the taller Anise, said she was not about to drop the matter. Anise pouted. "I broke in to that creepy room to get drunk. It was a dare. When I woke up, I couldn't get out." She hoped it was enough truth to get the Chief off her back.

"That was your computer that got fried?"

"Yep."

While the security operative slowly considered, she never broke eye contact with the sweating woman. "Anise, right?"

Anise nodded.

"OK. After you," Alice gestured for her new ally to take the lead.

Relieved that she didn't have to answer more uncomfortable questions, Anise smiled weakly. They proceeded down the hall and into the normally immaculate clerical offices. Papers and manila folders were scattered everywhere, desks and chairs were overturned, and office supplies were strewn across the floor. Anise felt a few pens under her feet snap. The people trapped in the offices must have struggled. No blood in sight though, so it must have happened before the infection. The two drew closer to the sounds of struggle. Alice visibly stiffened when her less sensitive hearing picked them out. She cast a questioning glance at Anise, who half-grinned in response. Politely, she refrained from saying 'I told you so' out loud.

Since she had the only weapon, the tall woman took point. Quickly, cautiously, they stalked toward the noises. They turned a corner and came upon the sight of Matt struggling with an infected woman. He was pinned to the floor, desperately shoving the snapping jaw away from him. The guy looked absolutely petrified. Even though he should have easily been able to break away from the thin woman attacking him, his struggles were weak and barely effective. Anise recognized the blonde woman in a nice skirt suit. Lisa had been another close friend. The ax shivered in her hands as she shook and looked away from the sight of shy, quiet Lisa trying to rip chunks out of Matt.

CRUNCH.

Anise's eyes flew open at the sound. Standing over the pair on the floor, Alice was holding a heavyduty paperweight smeared with dark blood. The glass cube tumbled from her hands when Matt looked up in surprise. The infected woman, whose desk that Anise used to unceremoniously plop her ass down and noisily eat snacks until Lisa eventually demanded she share, would not be moving again. Anise bit her cheek against tears as Matt anxiously pushed her aside to stand up. He gave Anise a cursory once over before returning his gaze to Alice.

The Chief winced under his stare and pulled her hands close to her body. Matt did not speak as his emotions played across his face. His brilliant blue eyes flicked to the dead woman's face before they would return to Alice's. Anise watched with renewed interest. He looked like he couldn't decide if he wanted to thank or punch Alice. It was just how she felt about Rain killing Terri. She blinked. He blamed Alice for the woman's death even though she just saved his life?

"You're her brother." Anise blurted out. The evident surprise on Matt's features confirmed it. Lisa had made that same weird open-mouthed, squinty-eyed expression when Anise boasted about her latest pranks. "She talked about you sometimes. Her over-protective older brother that she couldn't wait to go visit next month."

"You knew Lisa?"

"I taught her how to avoid pissing off maintenance. That crew will do nasty things to your workplace to get back at you." Anise smiled in memory of a prank Juan had pulled on her once, the bastard. He had helped keep her sane when the project's expectations became overwhelming. They had pulled some awesome stunts together. The clown's enthusiasm for April Fool's Day was unmatched. One such act of foolery had actually been on Lisa, who had never quite forgiven Anise for turning her cornsilk blonde hair blue for a week. "We were good friends."

"You're _the_ Anise?" He actually smiled back, temporarily forgetting Alice. "Lisa told me stories about your pranks. I almost peed myself hearing about the poor raccoon you painted with the Umbrella logo and set loose in the shopping mall. How did you not get fired?"

Anise grinned cheekily. Her dimples showed as she pointed a thumb at the woman next to her, "She never caught me."

Surprising them both, Alice laughed heartily. "I remember that day. It was a PR hell, everyone knew it was a Hive worker, but that was it. Spence was insanely mad that he couldn't find proof on who did it." She paused, looking thoughtful, "Thanks. I needed a good memory instead of the confusing, frightening ones. This place is terrifying enough by itself." Her eyes flicked over to the dead woman and back to Matt.

Sobered, their smiles faded, although Anise felt a new sense of of camaraderie with the two she had fought zombies with. Matt ran a hand through his hair before he spoke. "Thanks, Alice. I couldn't have," he gestured at his dead sister, "You know."

Relieved at his forgiveness, Alice's body visibly relaxed. She nodded and replied softly. "Yea. I do. You're welcome."

Anise frowned at the ax in her hands, then at the bloody glass on the floor. She was going to get someone killed if she couldn't bring herself to ax her good, but dead, friends. "I won't hesitate again." She said it aloud. Spoken, it had more power. She shivered.

Matt looked at her with understanding. Alice put a cool hand on her arm, her voice low, sincere. "I know you won't, Anise." Damn. The woman knew how to instill confidence. It was no wonder everyone in the Hive spoke about the woman with respect. Anise immediately stood a little taller at the belief in Alice's eyes.

Shuffling and moaning drifted on the recycled air. Anise twitched in the direction it came from. She gripped the ax's fiberglass handle tighter. "Shit. I'll be tested soon enough. _They_ are getting close."

"I don't hear anything." The brother looked dubious.

"Trust her, Matt." Anise started at those words from the other woman. She supposed facing the walking dead made superhearing less unbelievable. Alice's lips drifted up in a small smile that Anise returned with a nod of appreciation.

Matt considered the words a moment, glancing down at his dead sister, before nodding affirmatively. "Lisa did." Their eyes met. "She always said there was more to you than stupid jokes."

"Thanks. I think."

The three started their trek through the labs again. They quickly encountered an overwhelming amount of infected. Anise was true to her promise. Her ax cut down swaths of people she once knew, but they still forced her back. Matt was doing his best to avoid getting in the way as the two women battled the undead. They could not push forward and were almost pinned in a corridor if not for Alice. Memories or not, the woman was talented at snapping necks and breaking skulls. It was even more impressive that she was unarmed. The head of security cleared a path behind them. "Run!"

Together, they pelted back through the corridors they had already traversed. They didn't think about where they were going as long as it wasn't into the waiting arms of the hungry dead. The infected Hive workers were slow and stupid, yet definitely had the advantage in numbers and unending stamina. Every intersection was almost a disaster for the tiring group.

An infected Doberman pounced from a side corridor, taking Anise to the ground, and stealing her breath. She also lost her ax and heard it skitter down the hallway. The creature's fileted flesh, vicious teeth, and dead eyes had Anise wetting her white lab pants as she fought to keep her throat from being ripped out. The woman screamed bloody murder as the dog's sharp teeth tore into her right hand. She was saved when it suddenly went flying off her courtesy of Matt's foot slamming into its ribs.

The second time the creature leaped, Anise was in a crouch waiting for it. She grabbed its jaw and head, twisting as she quickly straightened her legs. The horror movie mutt crashed into the wall behind her with a satisfying crunch. It did not rise again. She stood staring at it until Matt grabbed her by the arm, yelling in her face to pull herself together. Alice shouted to get going as she swung Anise's ax, catching a moaning jaw with the blade and separating it from the face. The creature stumbled forward uncaring that its jaw was no longer attached. Gross.

Anise nodded dumbly, allowing Matt to drag her down the corridor again. After sending another body part flying, Alice quickly followed in the rear. Their mad dash led them to a closed door that Anise recognized. They were back at the Red Queen's core. "It's locked," Matt complained. Anise silently cursed that she didn't have her iPad with its super useful hacking programs.

Alice and Matt pounded on the door and screamed, their voices tainted with fear and desperation. "Let us in!" Thankfully, the door popped open and they all tumbled in. They were greeted by guns aimed at their faces which Alice ignored and turned to shut the door before it was too late.


	5. Impertinent Behavior

A/N - Revised 12 Sept 2012

* * *

**Chapter 5**

_**Impertinent Behavior**_

The door was pushed back just as a few grasping hands made their way in and caught Matt's arm. He struggled to unlatch the fingers as Alice and Spence braced themselves against the door. The commandos kept their fingers on their guns while Anise crouched and tried to catch her breath. She was surprised at the bright red blood dripping from a few nice teeth marks in her hand. "Damn dog," she grumbled.

Matt yanked the fingers from his arm and began pushing back the arms reaching through the open doorway. He picked up the ax that Alice had dropped to push on the door. With a vengeance, he chopped at the arms until the door jerked shut and Spence threw the lock. Alice sank to the floor, and Matt stood panting, his knuckles white against the ax handle. The male commando slowly lowered his piece to its holster. Spence looked over the reunited group, briefly meeting Anise's eyes and squinting in vague recognition or irritation. She wasn't sure which and, frankly, didn't give a flying leap. She was far more concerned with the gun that was abruptly pointed at her face.

Rain was aiming at the forehead of the woman she had not yet been introduced to. Her really big, scary as fuck, black, with a scope, foregrip, big magazine, whose power had lifted a grown woman clean off her feet, gun was aimed right between Anise's eyes.

"Rain, what are you doing?" Her squadmate asked.

Yea, what the fuck? Anise echoed in her head

"She's a survivor." He glanced at Alice for confirmation, who nodded quickly.

"Kap, the last survivor I encountered tried to eat me." The Latina snarled, not letting her aim waiver as she stared down the sights of her intimidating gun.

Anise remembered her decision about whether to hate or forgive Rain for snapping Terri's neck. Rain had done for her what Alice had done for Matt, even if the commando didn't know it. That settled, her goofy nature reasserted itself. Her eyes looked past the muzzle to meet Rain's dark, chocolate gaze, and she held up her hands in mock surrender. "I promise I won't bite."

Rain's eyebrow rose slightly, though she still seemed eager to squeeze the trigger.

Feeling giddy with adrenaline and fear, Anise smiled her infamous prankster smile, full of teeth and the promise of trouble. "Unless you want me to." She winked for good measure. "I think I'd enjoy biting you."

Her impertinent behavior was rewarded with Rain's lips twitching and lifting on one side. The commando snorted and lowered her gun. She held out her strong hand to Anise, who grabbed hold and stood up. Anise readjusted her rumpled clothes and looked back at the attractive commando, abruptly noticing that Rain was several inches shorter. Blinking in surprise, she had not realized just how petite the woman was, Anise stared at her awkwardly. The other woman was looking Anise over.

A formerly white, now stained lab coat covered Anise's feminine body. Several years of physical conditioning for the project had greatly enhanced her curves with firm muscle tone. Anise wondered what the gun-wielding badass was thinking as her eyes traveled back up to inspect Anise's blood spattered face. Anise was light skinned, hazel eyed, had a slightly wider nose, full lips pulled into a grin, round chin and an old scar that stretched from the corner of her eyebrow to the hairline. Dark eyes locked on her own and had the tall woman biting her cheek, unsure if she should be afraid or not. Anise let out a little breath when Rain's gaze flickered away.

Rain's voice was amused and deadly serious at the same time. "Bite me, and I'll kick your ass."

"I'm sure you would." The playful woman agreed, enjoying the exchange, however disconcerting.

Without those piercing eyes staring into her anymore, Anise relaxed enough to examine the room they were in. It was basically empty, except for a chair and a table with a monitor and keyboard setup. She supposed it was where a guard would normally sit on watch. The room had three doors. Two of which led to certain death. The other was open, leading to a brightly lit hallway that ended in a door which protected what she assumed was the AI core room. It one of the few places she had not managed to sneak into. Being super sneaky and idiotically adventurous, and having neat hacking programs only got her so far.

Spence spoke into the quiet room, his voice overly loud and making Anise wince painfully. "So who the hell are you?"

Still feeling cocky and adrenaline-high, Anise responded glibly to the arrogant man. "Well, I'm either extremely lucky or just plain fucked. You?"

He scoffed. "Why aren't you out there with the rest of your coworkers?"

"Why aren't you?"

Spence scowled and clenched his fists. He spoke through gritted teeth. "I don't know. What's your excuse?"

Anise licked her lips, deciding to stop pushing the temperamental man's buttons and gave her half-truth story again. When she was done the group shifted awkwardly, watching the newcomer. The silence only broken by the mobs that pounded and clawed at the doors. The stench of blood and fear tainted the air between them. It was a very uncomfortable few minutes.

"What's in the bag?" Kap finally asked.

Happy to have a distraction from the staring group, Anise quickly shoved both hands into her large, canvas, messenger-style bag. Rain and Kap flinched, both of them retraining their impressive guns on her. Anise blanched and slowly pulled out a few cans of juice. "Sorry," she breathed. "Anyone thirsty? I have plenty."

The soldiers glared at her for a few seconds before they lowered their guns. Everyone breathed easier when Rain's gun was out of her dangerous hands again. Despite Spence giving her shit about walking around with a fridge in her purse, everyone happily indulged in the liquid treats. Anise claimed the lone chair by the control panel and Rain, surprising her, hopped up on the table beside her. The others spread themselves out as much as the small room allowed, standing or leaning on the walls.

Matt sipped his drink, gazing thoughtfully at the Umbrella logo on the side of the can. "I'm glad that not everyone in Umbrella is a heartless bastard." That got the group's attention. He raised his juice in salute to Anise, then continued on, "Corporations like Umbrella think they're above the law. But they're not. There are hundreds of thousands of us all over the world who think the same."

"Like your sister?" Alice's soft voice interrupted. "We ran into her earlier," she filled in the rest of the team.

Matt's features tightened and he nodded. "Some of us provide information. Others give their support. Some take more direct action."

While crushing her empty can, Anise considered the backers behind Project Afterthought. They were probably part of the same invisible rebellion as the siblings. Everyone continued to listen as Matt talked about the plans to expose Umbrella's less tasteful R&D projects. Weapons development, illegal genetic experiments, viral research. They needed proof of the illegal research. So his sister had worked her way into the Raccoon City facility to get it. She needed help though. Lisa had confided in Matt about an informant she had. Someone who could give her full access, codes, classified access, the works. Anise wondered who it had been and if he or she was still alive.

"Alright, why the fuck did we find you sneaking around the Mansion?" Rain demanded, leaning forward and putting her hands on her knees.

"I lost contact with her a few days ago. I was worried so I decided to sneak into the Hive to find her." Anise thought he was an idiot for trusting Umbrella employees with a story about trying to steal company property. Commandos were employed to prevent that kind of thing. "You aren't going to shoot me for trespassing and stealing company property?" He asked half jokingly. An idiot with a sense of humor, she amended.

Kap and Rain seemed to consider it. Anise squinted at his crumpled name tag, Kaplan it read. He shrugged and deferred to Rain, who spoke up. "Nah, if we make it out alive, you deserve to walk away. Fuck it, I'll even help you blow the lid on this shittyplace."

Anise scrubbed her uninjured hand across her face. "How do you propose we get out of here? Those," she paused to come up with a good word to describe the not quite dead clawing at the only exits, "Damn zombies will happily eat us for dinner if we open the doors. The Red Queen's core only has the one exit." Uh... "Right?" She didn't know. Escaping the AI's core was not included in her Hive training.

Kaplan started pacing. "We'll never make it out of here in time. We're all going to die."

"What do you mean, 'in time'?" Spence clenched a fist and took a half-step in Kap's direction.

Rain explained when Kap continued muttering to himself about dying. "You remember those blast doors we passed on the way from the Mansion?" When Alice nodded, she continuing. She sounded irritated and maybe even a bit stressed, but Anise couldn't detect any fear in the woman's voice. The Latina was probably a bitch to play Poker with! "They'll seal shut in about," she checked her watch, "Two hours."

"Why?" Quietly terrified, that was Alice.

"The only fail safe plan the idiots in charge came up with. In case of emergency, seal the place up and screw any unlucky bastards still down here." Anise answered bitterly. Kaplan looked surprised that the woman was so well informed. Rain's brow arched, though she kept silent and fiddled with her injured hand.

Scowling, Anise folded her arms across her chest. She really had thought that her keeper was yanking her chain when he had shown her the classified plans. His sense of humor was a little twisted sometimes. Doc Belst could be a bastard, but he had always meant well. She wished he was around to yell at her or something.

Spence began raging at the commandos. "You couldn't have told us earlier? Before we were half a fuckin mile _underground_!"

The two squadmates remained silent. Anise huffed, "If we can't escape before they close, we won't see daylight again."

"We have to get out of here." Alice straightened from her relaxed position and strode over to the table. She grabbed the bag sitting next to Rain and marched into the lit hallway.

"What are you doing?" Kaplan demanded.

"I'm going to turn her back on." Anise assumed she meant the AI, which explained the power outage earlier. Having to turn the AI back meant that they had probably used some sort of EMP charge to turn it off to begin with.

Kaplan objected, "That's not a good idea."

"She'll know a way out."

The group followed Alice anyway. "That homicidal bitch killed my team." Rain added as she stomped along behind Kap and Alice.

Everyone crowded into the small room, watching as Alice unzipped the bag and started pulling out a briefcase-sized box. "Kaplan, that circuit breaker you were talking about, can you bypass it?" Alice questioned.

"Yea."

"So do it." Alice ordered. Anise wondered what they were talking about.

"Why?" Spence questioned, making Anise feel less like an ignorant moron. That did not mean she liked him. He just had his useful moments.

Alice didn't look up from reinstalling the AI's component. "Leverage. If she won't help us. Fry her."

"Good plan. Threaten a homicidal AI." Anise snarked. The amnesiac favored her with a half-smile, shrugged and continued on her chosen mission.

Right in front of Anise, the Red Queen projected her image. "Shit!" She jumped back a foot. Rain snickered quietly. "Bitch." Anise muttered and flipped Rain the bird.

"Ms. Barrows," it greeted her. "Your continued good health is gratifying."

"Fuck you." Anise was not going to thank the artificial bitch for keeping her alive. She glowered at the reddish hologram, not sure if the disembodied voice or little girl image freaked her out more. The image flickered and disappeared. Before Anise could ask what happened, Kaplan proposed that her systems must have been damaged by the first charge. EMP charge, totally called that, Anise silently crowed.

"I gather that everything has not gone as planned?" The computer asked.

Rain jerked forward, grabbing for the power switch in Kaplan's hand. "Let me do it. I wanna fry her ass!" The others shoved her back until Rain stood panting and baring her teeth at the camera on the wall.

"Not yet." Alice patted Rain on the arm. The soldier flinched away and growled so low that Anise was sure only she could hear it.

"I did warn you, didn't I?" The Red Queen taunted them.

"Tell us what the hell is goin on down here." Rain demanded, angry as a wasp's nest.

"Research and Development."

Anise snorted.

"What about the T-virus?" Matt added.

"The T-virus was a major medical breakthrough. Although it clearly also possessed highly profitable military applications." It commented.

"Well how does it explain those things out there?" Asked Kaplan, his voice pitched high and his arm gesturing frantically toward the other room, where Anise could still hear the zombies scratching at the doors.

"Even in death the human body still remains active. Hair and fingernails continue to grow. New cells are produced and the brain holds a small electrical charge that takes months to dissipate. The T-virus provides a massive jolt to both cellular growth and those trace electrical impulses. Quite simply, it reanimates the body."

"It brings the dead back to life?" Rain simplified, her voice irritated and stretched thin.

"Not fully. The subjects have the simplest of motor functions. Perhaps a little memory. Virtually no intelligence." Red Queen pronounced. "They are driven by the basest of impulses. The most basic of needs."

"Which is?" Kap squeaked out.

"The need to feed." The damn AI was certainly melodramatic, Anise thought.

Again, Rain asked bluntly. "How do you kill them?"

"Severing the top of the spinal column or massive trauma to the brain are the most effective methods."

Alice looked over to the ax-wielding woman, who met her gaze uneasily, noticing the questions dancing in the other woman's eyes.

"You mean shoot them in the head." Rain clarified.

"Why did you kill everybody down here?" Matt finally asked what Anise was too scared to voice out loud.

"The virus escaped into the air conditioning system and an uncontrolled pattern of infection began. The virus is protiant, changing from liquid to airborne to blood transmission depending on its environment. It's almost impossible to kill. I couldn't let it escape from the Hive. Sooo, I took steps."

Rain glanced at Anise before speaking. "Steps?"

"You must understand. Those who become infected, I cannot allow you to leave."

"Whoa! Whoa. We're not infected," Spence sputtered. He didn't notice Rain cringing, and her hands scrubbing together. Anise did, though she remained silent, weighing her options. Rain caught Anise watching her fidgeting hands. The commando opened her mouth to probably tell her off, but the AI interrupted her.

"Just one bite. One scratch from these creatures is sufficient and then you become one of them." The Red Queen finally dropped the bomb on them. During the pause, the team glanced at each other uneasily. Their eyes settled on Rain and Anise.

Rain raised her bloody hand to point at Anise's injury. "Joined the Royally-Fucked-Club, huh?"

The woman considered her wounded digits. She noted that the bleeding had almost stopped and tried to guess how many hours it would take to fully heal. Making a fist, she decided to keep her mouth shut and just flip Rain the bird. Telling them the T-virus was _not_ a threat to her health wouldn't make her any friends right now. Friends were something she was desperately short on at the moment.

"My systems indicate that my main drive circuit breaker has been disabled. May I ask why?"

Alice answered. "Insurance. We need a way out. You're gonna help us. If you refuse we shut you down for good."

The Red Queen took a full thirty seconds to respond. "You realize that disabling me will not put the odds in your favor."

"We'll take our chances." Anise wasn't sure who spoke. She was pretty sure they all felt the same though.


	6. What Ladder?

A/N - Revised 13Sept2012

* * *

**Chapter 6**

_**What Ladder?**_

"Sewers?" Rain's voice dripped disgust as she peered down into the dark hole in the floor.

Kap exhaled a long suffering sigh. "Utility tunnels," he argued.

Wafting her hand by her nose, Rain scoffed. "Smells like ass. Full of pipes carrying shit. Crappy lighting." She was ticking off each point with a finger. "Sewers."

"Fine. Whatever. You wanna go first?" Kaplan swept his hand toward the entrance to the tunnels.

Anise smiled at their bickering. She hefted her ax and saved them the trouble of who went first and jumped. Her feet splashed in the inch of water on the floor, her legs taking the shock with little protest. Her nose wrinkled and her lips curled back in disgust. She thought it had smelled bad before. Now it was freaking intolerable. Coughing and gagging, she slapped a hand over her mouth to keep from retching. Her sense of smell had always been excellent, and she cursed her inherited genes as she swallowed heavily.

Catching her breath and pretending to be a good soldier, she eyed the area critically and listened with her enhanced hearing. Anise could hear dripping water, the slight flow of liquid and _other_ stuff in the pipes, electrical buzzing from the crappy fluorescent lights, and the breathing of her companions. "All clear!" She called up to the commandos staring at her from 20 feet above her head.

Alice was the first one to descend the ladder anchored to the wall, and Anise politely avoided looking up her skirt, instead keeping her eyes and ears open for danger.

"Don't you like ladders?" Matt asked when he got down to her level.

Anise had the grace to look abashed. She rubbed the back of her head. "Didn't see it."

Rain sidled up next to Anise when she tried to take point. The commando nudged her aside. "A soldier should be in front. Guns always trump teeth," she said and winked. Surprised at the soldier's friendly attitude, she wondered where that had come from. She shook her head and followed Rain's lead. They trudged through the damp tunnels following the map that Kaplan had been given by the computer. Every intersection they passed was unnerving. The team kept expecting something to jump at them. All the walls looked the same, the sounds were distorted, the smells and shadows were unnerving. Even the audacious Rain was obviously unsettled.

"How far do these tunnels go?" Anise finally spoke to hear something normal amidst at the freaky sounds and her companions' heavy breaths and pounding hearts.

"They run the length of the Hive carrying water and gas in those pipes overhead. Be careful where you shoot, Rain." Kaplan admonished his partner.

"I'm a better shot than you. Watch your own damn aim." Which, Anise guessed, pretty much equated to 'fuck off and quit being a bitch'.

It felt like they had been wandering around for hours. Anise checked her watch and groaned, seeing that 27 minutes had already passed. She cast her gaze at the team behind her. Spence glared back. Asshole must be regaining his memories, he was getting grumpier by the second.

Passing by a particularly familiar grating, Anise paused when she thought she heard something. She craned to listen, but Spence blowing up covered up whatever she had heard. "We've been here before!"

"No. We haven't. We're following the map." Kaplan defended his navigation. Spence got in his face and continued yelling about going around in circles. The commotion drew everyone's attention and Rain marched up to Spence and shoved him against the metal grate.

"Enough already." She snarled, just avoiding aiming her pistol at his face. "We don't have a choice, but to keep moving. Those things are..." Those _things_ suddenly reached forward through the gaps in the metal, grabbing hold of Spence's chest and making the man howl in fear. Anise cursed, wishing she'd paid more attention to what she was hearing.

Splash.

Her ax whistled through the air at the damn zombies that had managed to sneak up while she was distracted by Spence's whining. Being too busy splitting open skulls and removing body parts, Anise was unable to turn around and check to see what was going on behind her. All she could hear through the blood rushing through her ears were the snarling zombies and the sloppy sounds of her ax chopping through them. Alice was beside her snapping necks with her bare hands and thighs.

Oh my. Anise was temporarily distracted by the idea of her head between those thighs. Teeth sunk into her arm as punishment. "Ow!" Removing the attached head was easy enough but another set of teeth sunk into the fleshy outside of her already bitten hand and clamped down. "SHIT!"

Gunfire sounded and the handful of undead around her dropped. Each had neat exit wounds in their skulls. She glanced at the owner of the gun. Rain had her back pressed to the grating, adding her weight to the guys' efforts holding it up. It was acting as a fence to hold back the mob pouring into the tunnel. The soldier snarled at her to stop staring and kill something. Anise jauntily saluted her and bent down to pick her ax back up. Her smile twisted as her hand screamed in agony. She held up her hand and whimpered at seeing a chunk of her palm gone. Holy shit it hurt! She could barely grip the ax handle. Anise grit her teeth painfully and started swinging her ax again anyway.

Pain or death. Easy choice.

Someone was yelling. Anise couldn't tell who or what, her ears were ringing from the pain in her hand and arm. The blood was making the shaft slippery and even more difficult to wield. She bit her cheek and kept swinging, however sloppily. The undead were piling up around her feet, yet even more kept replacing the fallen. All of them hungry and groaning. Wearing the faces of people she had known, had laughed with, had played pranks on, people she had hung out with at the 'Coon Bar and gotten happily drunk with. Tears were freely running down her face.

"Up! Get up on the pipes." Alice yelled in her ear before decking a guy to her left. She tugged on Anise's arm, pointing up to make sure the woman understood. Spence was already climbing up. Coward, she thought. A few more gunshots echoed as Anise backed her way toward the metal pipes anchored to the sides of the wall. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Kaplan climb next. It looked easy enough if someone else held her ax. The commando's gun above her head dropped a few undead to give her a chance to climb. Spence actually helped by reaching for her ax.

The others followed until only Rain remained on the ground. The woman had stopped moving, and Anise couldn't figure out why until she spotted the other black uniform. Shit. One of the squad had returned from the dead. Everyone was yelling at Rain to climb, but the woman was frozen. Staring at Death in the form of a friend had paralyzed her. She couldn't pull the trigger on the handgun she had aimed at his head.

After taking her ax back from Spence, Anise readied her aim. JD's teeth sunk into Rain's neck just before the ax blade settled between his ears. The dead body took the ax as it fell, the handle easily dragged from Anise's slippery grasp. "Shit." She spat. Rain had slapped a hand to her neck and looked up to stare at her rescuer. Anise screamed at her to climb. The commando's feet remained rooted to the ground, and her dark eyes remained fixed on Anise. The undead were quickly closing around her, they could almost taste her.

"Hold me." Confused, Matt blinked at Anise, who was setting aside her shoulder bag. "Don't let go." Anise demanded as she placed his arms around her hips. Kaplan understood first, and he grabbed hold of the woman from her other side before she abruptly leaned over the edge and reached down to Rain. "Holster your weapon and give me your hands, soldier!" She did her best to imitate drill sergeants' voices from the movies as she glared into Rain's eyes. Much to her delight, Rain responded by obeying immediately and grabbing onto her hands. "Hold on," she commanded.

Every muscle in her body fought to haul Rain up. She could feel Kap and Matt straining as she took on Rain's weight. Fingers dug brutally into her sides, yet she ignore that pain and kept focused on maintaining her weakening hold. Her mutilated hand gushed blood down Rain's chewed up arm and shoulder. Fire raced through her straining limbs. Bright spots exploded in her vision. She clenched her jaw to avoid screaming. Somehow she managed to pull the commando up to where Alice could grip Rain's vest before the undead starting yanking on Rain's pants. The extra weight was excruciating. Her mangled hand spasmed and opened. Her good hand gripped fiercely around Rain's bandaged hand. Unfortunately, the gauze peeled off. Rain slipped from Anise's grasp.

The soldier would have unwittingly dragged Alice down with her if Spence had waited any longer to add his strength, seizing a fistful of Rain's vest. Finally regaining her wits, Rain grabbed her pistol and unloaded bullets into the undead trying to pull her down. With her legs free, Spence and Alice were able to haul the commando up to safety. Kaplan and Matt followed suit with a trembling Anise. They collapsed in a heap, panting. Kaplan was the first to untangle himself, leaving Anise sprawled in Matt's lap.

Anise rolled her head to check on the others. Satisfied that everyone had made it to the pipes she closed her eyes, concentrating on breathing through her nose to calm her racing heart. She wrapped her good hand around the mutilated, bleeding mess of the other. Her teeth hurt from clenching her jaw so much. The group was quiet so she didn't have anything except pain to distract her from the sounds of hundreds of mouths moaning for their flesh. "Damn."

"You OK?" Matt asked her quietly.

"No." Looking up, she caught his concerned blue eyes. "You?"

"I've had better days."

Tired eyelids fluttered. "Me too."

Someone snorted. It sounded like Rain.

"You are one crazy bitch." Definitely Rain.

Silence settled over them again. Despite the horde just feet below, clawing the air, hoping for their flesh, everyone managed to grab a few moments to relax and regain their strength. Anise drifted off for a nap.

* * *

Anise found herself waking up feeling rested. She dragged herself from Matt's lap. Smiling weakly, she patted his thigh and put her back to the cold concrete wall.

"Hey, Sleeping Beauty woke up. Nice of you to join us." Spence's sarcasm grated on her nerves.

"How long?"

"Twenty minutes." Supplied Kaplan. "I'm jealous."

"You should be. I feel better." And she did. Her hand still throbbed and so did the bite on her arm. The bleeding, however, had stopped. She did a little happy dance in her head, grateful for her body's extreme healing factor. Fully opening her eyes, she surveyed the motley group she had joined. Mostly they looked exhausted, instead of piss their pants terrified. Embarrassed, she remembered doing just that when the mutated dog had attacked her. "Dammit," she murmured. At least she blended in with the smell of the place.

"Rain." Alice was prodding the grumpy soldier. "Rain, we have to do something about your wounds."

The soldier was checking through the pockets of the vest she had taken off. "I'm fine." She pulled out what looked like her last bit of ammo.

"Rain." Alice grabbed her arm for emphasis.

Yanking her arm from Alice, she said more forcefully, "I said I'm fine. Why don't you check on Sleeping Beauty's wounds?" Rain loaded her gun with the fresh ammunition, aimed down the sights, and squeezed. An infected head erupted. Blood, bone, and brains decorated the tunnel wall. Anise looked away and reached for her bag.

"I already did. She's not bleeding anymore."

Sleeping Beauty, who had been retrieving a protein bar from her stash, froze. The cat was suddenly out of the bag with a really bright spotlight on it. She swallowed nervously.

"That's not possible!" Exploded Rain. She grabbed Anise's hand to prove that... Alice was right. Dried blood surrounded a delicate new scab. Her face twisted in confusion. "What the fuck? Part of your hand is GONE. My hand is still oozing from when that first bitch took a chunk outta me. How the hell aren't you gushing? You aren't dead yet."

"I'm just that lucky?" Anise joked half-heartedly.

"Lucky my ass. I can't tell where your blood ends and mine starts. I'm soaked in it. That kind of bleeding doesn't just decide to stop while you take a power nap!" Rain's voice was hoarse and cracked at the end of her tirade. Was it the effects from infection, fear, or something else? Anise wondered.

Rain shook the other woman's hand in her face. "Spill."

Anise bit her cheek against the sudden stab of pain from Rain's manhandling of her wrist, and seriously considered lying. She had a good imagination and these people would probably believe anything after the shit they had already been through. Glancing at Alice was enough to discourage that. The head of security had dropped the issue earlier, now though, her face told her she would not. "Tell us." Alice ordered softly.

Anise pursed her lips for a moment, then began. "I was part of a highly classified experiment called Project Afterthought."

"What kind of name is that for a top secret project?" Sneered Rain.

"The kind that saved your bitchy ass. Do you want my story or not?" Anise wanted to slap the woman. She chose to simply glare daggers at her instead.

Rain looked ready to argue again, though she held her tongue and nodded.

"Project Afterthought." She glowered at the commando still holding her bloody hand hostage. "Was put together by the more sensible Umbrella scientists in case they lost control of the T-virus. The name, well, it was exactly what a cure was, an afterthought."


	7. Only One Left

A/N - Revised 13Sept2012

* * *

**Chapter 7**

_**Only One Left**_

"Hold up. There's a cure?" Hope blossomed in Rain's eyes.

"A cure." Alice whispered. "Blue is the virus. Green is the antivirus." Her voice got louder, more excited. "I know where they kept it."

Everyone's attention shifted immediately to Alice, and Anise clamped her mouth shut. Maybe she could avoid telling her story to a group of Umbrella employees and still escape after all.

"You remember?" Kaplan excitedly questioned.

"Yes. I can get us there. We just have to get out of these tunnels."

Rain let the hostage hand free, already forgotten. "What are sitting around for? Let's go."

Thus began the journey of crawling along slippery pipes above a throng of snarling, moaning, grasping, hungry zombies. To say it was painful would be lying. For Anise, it was agonizing. The scabs on her hands split open under the pressure of holding her torso's weight. Her blood was leaving a smeared trail, and her knees and shins were screaming too. Spence's ass in front of her face didn't help her mood. She swore if he farted she would push him off.

Idly, Anise wondered what Rain thought of her ass. The brash commando had fallen in behind her. Now that she thought of it, she wondered how the lineup had gotten rearranged. Kap had started out in front and Anise the rear because she had wasted time ditching her cumbersome labcoat. She supposed it was back at the big pipe junction. The pipe under her good hand creaked and shuddered. It began to move. She hurriedly shifted her weight off it as much as she could.

"Shit. Be more careful." Of course Rain berated her for the pipe's harness failing.

"Sorry, did you want to be in front? Or are you just back there for the view?"

"Keep moving." Rain drawled.

If Anise wasn't afraid of biting it off when another pipe moved, she would have stuck her tongue out. She settled for muttering to herself and crawling forward again.

* * *

Minutes later, a large open area appeared in front of the group. The ceiling jumped up a dozen feet and the pipes securing brackets grew in feet and weak points. There was a 'Y' in the pipes where one branch ended with an opening in the wall covered by metal grating that looked weak enough to kick down. Behind it appeared to be a shadowy corridor. It looked promising. The other led to a dark alcove that she couldn't see into. It did not look promising. Spence charged ahead, eager to be walking instead of crawling around, while Anise held back, concerned. Growing up with a dad that was in construction had taught her a few things about support structures.

Rain poked her thigh. "What? Go, go. My knees are killing me."

"It doesn't look safe." Shaking her head slowly, Anise responded.

"Have you looked around lately? This whole fuckin place isn't safe." She rasped back.

Rolling her eyes, Anise conceded and moved forward to join Spence crossing the bridge to the ledge. It shook in protest. The man kicked a few times and the grate blocking his path collapsed noisily. As the rest of the team added weight to the bridge, it started groaning and swaying. All of a sudden there was metal screeching and voices screaming. Anise had set foot on the ledge only to turn around in horror. Sometimes she really hated being right.

Metal brackets had ripped away from the ceiling. Pipes had collapsed under the stress of their crossing. Anise's new friends were sliding into the waiting arms of her dead friends.

"Move!" Rain pushed her back so she could get off the pipes. Alice was right behind her and Matt was clambering up the pipes, but Kaplan had fallen to the ground. Pushing back Anise and Spence behind the grate, Rain made room for Alice. Upon seeing Kap being overwhelmed, she tried getting back to the pipes, screaming for them to help her last squad member. She almost got past Alice. Matt joining the crowded ledge, and the pipes collapsing behind him, stopped her.

Trapped, Rain drew her gun to help Kaplan. Her arms shook, and she kept squeezing her eyes as if to clear them. Shots scattered across the room and not a single zombie dropped. Kap somehow managed to free himself from the horde and was crawling up the pipes on the other side. He was just at the top when an infected man with gray hair and a lab coat with coffee stains latched onto his leg and bit. Kaplan's screams sent violent shivers down Anise's spine.

"I can't focus," Rain was crying. "I can't see."

Alice grabbed the gun from the shaking woman, took aim, and put a bullet in the infected man's brain. Kaplan mounted the top of the incline while Alice mowed down infected with the remaining rounds. It clicked when it was empty. She cried out, frustrated, and threw the useless metal at the mob.

Gasping and holding his leg, Kap sat watching yet another infected start up the pipes toward him. He dumped the spent shells from his revolver. Everyone could see as he picked one out. He had a round left. Just one.

"Go!" The desperation on his face was painful for Anise. Her eyes filled again. Next to her, Rain screamed at him not to give up. That they could save him. That she wouldn't leave him behind too.

"I'm not going anywhere. Go!" Tears overflowed down Anise's filthy cheeks. She wrapped her good arm around Rain's waist and started pulling. Beside her, Spence actually looked upset. He nodded at Kaplan and walked ahead.

Rain struggled desperately against the arm trying to drag her away screaming. "NO! No, we can't leave him. Dammit, let me go. KAPLAN!"

"We gotta move." And Matt grabbed Rain too. Alice brought up the rear, the last to see Kaplan alive. Smiling weakly and lifting a hand in goodbye, she turned and followed the screaming Rain.

BANG.

"KAPPP!"

* * *

Bruises from Rain's elbows, combat boots, and fists were sprouting like weeds on Anise. The woman was weak from infection and still hit like a freight train. Anise was grateful she was not at full strength, broken ribs would really suck. As Rain's struggling lessened, Matt let go. She collapsed in Anise's arms. "They're dead. They're all dead now." Her voice was miserable and full of helplessness. "What am I supposed to do now?" A gasp. "I'm alone."

"No. You aren't. Rain, you aren't alone." Anise tried comforting the crying woman in her arms.

"What the fuck would you know?" Suddenly furious, Rain shoved herself from the embrace, pivoting around to slam Anise to the wall and scream at her. "You didn't just leave the last of your fuckin squad behind to die! We were in the Army together. I was at his wedding. He just had a baby boy. His wife was the sweetest person I ever met. What the hell am I supposed to say to her, huh?" She grabbed a shoulder and pinned it to the unyielding concrete. "Answer me that!"

Alice tried to touch the grieving soldier's arm. "Don't fucking touch me." A violent jerk discouraged Alice further. Rain turned back to her stricken hostage. "Well, answer me dammit!"

With a tongue of lead, Anise couldn't answer. She blinked, feeling more hot tears streak down her face. Rain continued shrieking at her to answer the question.

Abruptly, Anise's tears stopped, and she began speaking. "Her name was Terri."

"What?" Rain snapped angrily, confusion wrinkling her forehead.

"The first one you ran into. You called JD over because you found a survivor. She bit you. Don't you remember?"

"Of course I remember that bitch. What the fuck does it matter?"

"Her name, before the T-virus escaped and the Red Queen murdered everyone, was Terri." Anise had no idea why she was saying it. Her mouth was moving on its own, and her voice was unnaturally calm. "She was my best friend down here. She's got two adorable kids and a great husband that don't know she's dead, that she turned into a cannibalistic zombie before you snapped her neck. The first one I killed, his name was Patrick. He was a decent guy, had a crush on me for a long time. There was Jezebel and Fred, Tony, Kwan, Albert, Nina..."

"So?" Rain's grip had slacked. The venom in her voice was gone.

"And Kap, the one that got him was Belst. He was..." She finally choked. "You can tell her that," she sniffled, "That Kap wasn't the only one that Umbrella's arrogance got killed." Fresh tears followed her conclusion. Tears that were wiped away by a tender touch.

"Sure. I'll tell her that. Fuck. We'll tell the whole damn world."

"Great. That sounds fantastic. Can we get going now?" And Spence ruined a perfectly good moment. Asshole.


	8. Twisted and Wrong

A/N - Revised 14Sept2012

* * *

**Chapter 8**

_**Twisted and Wrong**_

"Well? Do you hear anything?"

"I hear lots of things. Water dripping. You breathing. Something specific you think I should hear?"

"Anise..."

"Alice..."

Winning a staring contest with Alice was like trying to knock down all three bottles at a county fair game. Anise huffed. "Geez. I don't hear anything that sounds like it wants to chew on my intestines. Open the damn thing, Alice."

She watched as Alice climbed the short ladder and pushed the hinged floor grating up slightly. Matt poked his head up with her to peer around. "Looks clear." He glanced back at Anise, who shrugged.

"Still quiet. Wish I had my ax though."

Rain leaned against the shoulder holding her up. Her body temperature felt like it had dropped again. "If I find another one, I'll let you have it. OK?"

"You're so generous." Anise looked down.

The soldier smiled at the sarcastic joke, but it was twisted and wrong. Her skin, under the dried gore, was pale and sallow. Sweat dripped down her neck. The infection was progressing quickly now. She couldn't walk on her own anymore, and her voice was raspier than ever.

Between the four of them, they managed to get Rain up the ladder to the next level. From there Anise and Matt each took a pale arm around their shoulders and supported most of the commando's weight. The Latina's boots practically dragged along the floor. From several paces ahead, Spence watched, his rugged features contorted by annoyance and fear. He turned around when Anise stuck her tongue out at him.

"When I get outta here, I think I'm gonna get laid." Rain stated.

Matt snickered. "Good plan. Someone in mind?"

"Yea."

Anise had started to ask 'who' just as Rain stumbled and vomited. Awesome. Now her pants had barf to join the piss and blood. Sighing, she started moving forward again. Alice looked back and grimaced sympathetically before taking the lead again.

* * *

They followed the woman in the short red dress through the eerily quiet maze of labs. Nothing tried to eat them, and the only moaning came from the living. Hopefully the horde would not make it out of the tunnels to chase them again. Carrying Rain made them slow and even more vulnerable.

"Here. This is where they kept it. Hold on, Rain. You're gonna be okay." Alice had stopped in front of a familiar room with a foot of water in it. A little staircase with three steps led down into the sunken lab. The security operatives splashed into the room, followed by the trio, who gently helped Rain down to sit on the small landing. Anise trailed after the others to look for the antivirus. Her gaze swept over the damp lab. She had only been inside a few times with Belst to pick up samples. T-virus production was not part of her project, so they had to request it for Afterthought's own experiments.

"Why is it wet?" She mumbled to herself. Then it clicked, the medic had mentioned halon levels. That Red Bitch had killed everyone with the fire suppression system. Halon distribution and water sprinklers had been activated. At least the gas would have been fast. But death by drowning? She shuddered, wondering how long it had taken to fill up the sealed rooms.

"Where is it? I don't understand!" Alice shouted angrily, drawing Anise from her thoughts.

"What?" It was heartbreaking, that defeated tone of Rain's.

Anise shoved Spence aside to walk into the containment room. "Fuck me." She cursed and hung her head. It was gone. All of it. The T-virus and antivirus tubes were missing from their respective trays. Spence peeked into the room, yet did not enter, a thoughtful look on his roguish features. Disturbed, Anise glanced back at Rain. The woman wouldn't meet her eye. Alice and Matt had moved away from the group and were whispering. Curious, Anise focused her powerful hearing to listen over the water dripping. Spence and Rain looked too distracted to really be paying attention.

"How do you know for sure it was supposed to be here?" Matt was demanding.

"I was going to steal it." Alice revealed. "I was your sister's contact."

Matt's face was impassive. "You betrayed her."

"I don't remember."

"You caused all of this."

"No. I don't know." Alice's voice was stressed, yet whether from guilt, fear, lies, or the uncertainty of memory loss, Anise couldn't quite tell.

"The truth," he hissed.

"I don't remember the truth." Alice jerked away from Matt. His cold blue eyes tracked her angrily.

Holy hell, Anise thought. How was it possible to make this shit even more complicated?

"It's gone. It's not there." Alice announced unnecessarily.

"I can't." Rain was giving up. "I just can't. It's over."

Alice strode over to the distraught soldier. "No. It's not." She tried to gather her in a hug and Rain flinched. Alice tried again and was allowed to stroke the soldier's soaked hair and place a comforting hand on her thigh.

Anise kicked herself mentally for not getting to Rain's side sooner. She walked into the main lab, ending up next to Spence. The man still looked disturbingly thoughtful, not concerned, only preoccupied. Quickly she looked away and back to Rain, who appeared to be trying hard not to cry again. The soldier's features hardened and finally shrugged off Alice, having convinced her that she wouldn't give up just yet. Alice nodded and turned to Spence.

"Spence?" She queried, her voice worried and obviously seeking comfort of her own.

He continued zoning out, oblivious to Alice's repeated attempts to gain his attention. The poor woman, Anise thought, to have a husband like him. A look came over his features that Anise didn't recognize. Alice seemed to, and her face showed concern, maybe a little fear. The married couple was caught in a brief staring match until they both raced to something that Anise could not see. Spence won and leveled a gun at Alice's head.

Alice was distraught, stumbling back to Rain and Matt.

"What the fuck?" Anise blurted out. The pistol was in her face, and the muzzle pressed to her cheek. She stepped back a foot.

"I never could stand you, Anise. You were always a fucking pain in my ass with your untamed mouth and stupid pranks." Growled Spence to the woman on the business end of his weapon. He turned to his wife. "We can still make it out of here. Come with me. We can have everything we ever wanted. You wouldn't believe the amount of money out there, just waiting."

"This was how you were going to make all my dreams come true?" Alice deadpanned.

Matt dashed forward at Spence, but the asshole just casually pointed the gun at his chest. A dark flush shadowed Matt's face as he backed up several steps. Anise swung an arm at Spence, and he merely ducked, then rose and crashed the gun into her jaw. She stumbled, and his boot came up, connecting solidly with her chest. The woman flew back into the door frame, cracking her head painfully against the unyielding metal. Her limp body slid down to slump in a sitting position, mouth barely above the waterline. Anise blacked out.

* * *

The next thing Anise knew was a splitting headache. Peeling open her eyes rewarded her with a blurry image of red and a painful knife in her skull. She closed them quickly.

"Owww," she groaned. Her jaw hurt too. Putting a hand to it, she felt something sticky. Blood? What happened?

"You woke up." Someone sounded relieved. Alice maybe?

"Mmph." She muttered and tried opening her eyes again. This time, she was expecting the pain and was able to push it aside to focus on the world around her. Alice was crouching beside her, eyes full of concern. Gone was the leather jacket, and her nipples were straining against the thin red fabric of the dress. Anise agreed with the two buttons pointing at her. Yea, it was fucking cold in this water. She tried to stand up, staggered until she was caught and supported by the strong Chief. Fighting down a wave of nausea, she leaned back on the frigid steel wall.

"Welcome back." Rain greeted Anise from a chair on the other side of the room. An ax was leaning against her thigh. The thick glass window next to her was full of little holes about the size of the pointed end of the ax. Were those put there by Rain? Matt stood close by, looking sympathetic and pissed at the same time. The super douche was not in sight and both exits were closed. Good riddance to that asshole, she thought bitterly. That meant the jacket had probably been Spence's, which explained why Alice's buttons were cold and exposed. She saw the jacket floating in the water by Matt's feet and smiled to herself.

"Her boyfriend's a real asshole, huh?" Rain joked.

"Yea. I always thought so. You guys OK?"

"We're trapped in here." Matt supplied. "While you were unconscious, Spence locked us in here and took off to the train where he had stashed the antivirus and virus in a duffel bag."

"He got out? Did he take it with him?"

Alice shook her head. "No. Some early experiment got to him first. The bag is still on the train."

"Early experiment? Oh. Those _things_."

The diminished group grew silent. Matt was fiddling with the second door's keypad. Anise closed her eyes and considered going back to sleep, thinking it would be more pleasant than the pain and horror she was trapped in now.

"No pressure, guys." From her chair, where she sat shivering, Rain announced. "We're getting short on time here."

Another voice burst into the room. "You require the four-digit access code. I can give you the code, but first you must do something for me." The Red Queen. Everyone exchanged wary glances. Anise sure as hell did not want to make a deal with the mass murderer.

Alice was the first to ask. "Want do you want?"

"One of your group is infected. I require her life for the code." The computer demanded, her juvenile voice grating on Anise's nerves.

"The antivirus is right there on the platform. RIGHT THERE!" Incredulous, Alice screamed at the AI, pointing her finger at the door.

"I am sorry, but it's a risk I cannot take. You must kill the soldier."

Rain stood up, a martyred look on her face, and held out the ax toward Alice. "She's right. It's the only way, you're gonna have to kill me."

"No." Anise thought it, though Alice spoke it.

"Otherwise we all die down here." Rain insisted.

"Wait. You said one of our group was infected. Anise was bitten too. Several times." Sweet, intelligent, observant Matt proclaimed. "Why aren't you asking for her life too?" Anise wondered if she'd done something to piss him off.

"Ms. Barrows cannot be infected by the T-virus. It is not her death that I require."

Throwing Anise a wide-eyed look, Matt responded with disbelief. "She can't be infected?"

"Correct. However, her immunity is not the topic of consequence. You must kill the soldier if you wish to live."

Fucking bitch! "She doesn't need to die." Anise inserted, desperation lacing her words.

"I cannot risk the virus getting out. She must die."

"No!"

THUMP.

Something large threw itself at one of the glass windows, causing the crew to jump in fright. It was one of the _things_ from 'dining hall B'. Fuck, it was a scary son of a bitch.

"The glass will hold but not for long. You must kill her now." The computer repeated its demand.

Rain shoved the ax into Alice's hand. "Do it. You guys have to get out."

"No."

THUMP.

"Kill me."

Alice shivered, hesitating. Anise stood petrified, staring at Rain's submission to death, unable to move or speak.

THUMP.

"NOW!" Rain shrieked, loudly, strongly.

Alice brought up the ax, while Matt's jaw tensed and worked silently.

"Do it!" Rain screamed again.

THUMP. Cracks splintered the glass.

"Kill her!"

Finally, the tall, enhanced woman found her voice. "No," Anise whispered.

The ax hovered in the air, the creature continued banging into the weakening glass, Rain stood with her head bowed waiting, and Matt stared at the scene, paralyzed by fear.

"STOP!" Anise yelled into the cacophony. Her thunderous demand had everyone flinching. "Don't do it."

Alice guiltily lowered the ax, and the Red Queen quit her death mantra.

Gesturing angrily, Anise continued. "Look at her wounds. They've started to scab over. Her voice is stronger and her skin is getting color back! She's healing."

Relief and confusion flashed across the others' faces. Rain was scrutinized closely by Alice and Matt, who started nodding. "You're right."

"How's your vision?" Anise stared into the soldier's chocolate eyes.

The petite woman hesitated and replied slowly, unsure of her answer. "Better... But, how?"

THUMP. Crack.

"Her body is fighting the infection. Let us out, you bitch!" Glaring at the monitor from which the Red Queen had been speaking, Anise pointed frantically at Rain's healing body.

Outside the room, the creature hissed. Fear once again sending his heart racing, Matt returned to pounding random numbers into the keypad.

"The changes are minute, possibly caused by adrenaline. Her improving health does not necessarily mean that the T-virus cannot still be transmitted outside this facility. Her death for the code." The computer was uncompromising, vicious in her demands.

Face and ears flushing red, Anise was livid, and she shook her damaged fist at the monitor. "Damn you! My blood has infiltrated her open wounds. Those wounds have started to close. The point of Project Afterthought was for exactly this kind of situation. Her physiology is being altered to resist the T-virus. You know by the time we get out of here, she won't be infectious any longer. She won't become one of those things!"

THUMP. Crack. Crackle. The window was losing its own battle against time.

"No subject was ever found to be fully compatible with the project with the exception of you, Ms. Barrows. The chances of her complete modification are too slim."

"No other subject infected ever showed this kind of rapid change. She must be compatible. Open the damn door." On the last words, Anise's voice pitched shrilly.

"No." It was final and irrefutable, the Red Queen could not be goaded further.

THUMP. Crackle. Crackle. Pieces of glass fell into the water and the creature roared triumphantly. It reared back to charge again.

Anise figured it was over now. Her frustrated tears dripped down to mix with the lake at her feet. She was really getting tired of crying. "Dammit."

The room abruptly went dark, and the door by Matt opened by itself. He jumped back several feet.

Alice raced toward it, the ax raised and ready to kill.

A hand grabbed the outside of the door and body garbed in black followed. Kaplan hobbled into sight, the EMP switch in his hand.

"Kap?" Whimpered Rain.

Kaplan smiled boyishly, despite the pain from his wounds creasing his features. "Bitch wouldn't open the door."

CRASH! The window collapsed inward as the creature roared again and got ready to pounce on the humans.

"Go!" Anise grabbed Rain and dashed to the door just in front of the creature's slashing talons. In front of them, Matt and Alice shoved Kap back into the hallway. They slammed the door just as the creature made it to the threshold and bolted it shut.

WHAM. The steel door dented from the beast's flying impact.

"What the _fuck_ was that?" He bellowed in horrified confusion.

"It's a long story! Come on." Alice hollered at him over the banging of the creature on the metal door. More dents appeared.

"Shit." The commando whined before following the others down the hall.


	9. Whipped

A/N - Revised 14Sept2012 .. oh, it flows sooo much better now :)

* * *

**Chapter 9**

_**Whipped**_

They were running again. Kind of. More like gimping hurriedly. Rain was recovering, even though her strength was waning from the effort of healing and fighting the T-virus. Her body was weak, and she needed the support that Anise had happily offered. Matt had gamely accepted the dubious honor of assisting Kaplan limp around. Alice was on point, wielding the ax that Anise had waved off, saying she would prefer her hands wrapped around a pretty girl rather than anything's shaft. Kaplan had guffawed loudly and did not stop until he ran out of breath. His laughter was catchy, infecting the others with his humor. Rain irritably informed Anise that if she ever called her pretty again, she'd deck her. Giggles escaped Anise at those words, and Rain's lips twitched into her little half-smirk, half-snarl.

The relaxing laughter was good therapy for their fear ravaged minds. The lightened mood stayed with them, even when Alice dispatched a few zombies along the way. Wide steps led down to the train platform, which was littered with neat stacks of cargo crates and barrels. Everyone became more alert the closer they drew to the crowded area, expecting trouble at any moment.

Anise and Kaplan had been updated along the way that the Red Queen had broadcasted Spence's terrible death. The same creature that had broken into the lab, had first chewed on Spence before he could inject himself with the antivirus. The creature had then mutated into something even stronger and more deadly than it was before.

Great. Just awesome. Anise once again wondered why those _things_ in the cages had never been destroyed. Creepy fuckers, let's keep em in cages. Upper management were, without any shred of doubt, asinine morons.

As they approached the train they caught sight of Spence's mutilated body. Bright red blood was smeared everywhere. The monster's bloody tracks could easily be followed across the platform and up a concrete support column. Alice told them to get the train running, and she would get the virus. No one argued.

Inside, Anise lowered Rain to the floor. The cargo area was empty except for a bundle of iron pipes, of several different sizes, suspended from the ceiling by chains. Rain's squadmate limped away to do whatever was needed to make the train go. Matt took a standing position near the women. The stoic soldier nonchalantly checked the remaining time on her watch and then showed Anise the remaining countdown. Minutes remained.

"Your metabolism is speeding up, Rain. You need to eat something." Anise knelt down and pulled a protein bar from her soaked bag, shook off the water, and ripped open the foil packaging. The food was still dry and she put it in front of Rain's mouth.

Rain objected, sharply turning her face. "Ugh. It smells awful."

"Your body is trying to heal itself. It needs the calories."

Again, Rain refused. "Fuck off. I'm not eating that shit."

"Don't make me use my 'drill sergeant voice' again."

Rain glared at her while Matt chuckled. "Is that what you did back in the tunnels? How did you know that would work?"

"She looked like a soldier. Umbrella's commandos are usually former military." Anise shrugged. "I had a few friends in college that were ex-military. They told me stories about boot camp." She turned back to Rain, put the bar against her lips, and growled out a command. "Eat, you stubborn bitch."

For a stubborn moment, she worried Rain that would not take the food. The mulish woman glared, her lips curling back in a silent growl. Then the soldier suddenly opened her mouth, leaned forward a smidge, and wrapped her pink lips around the bar. She bit down and chewed. Her features twisted in disgust as she swallowed. "That shit is foul. How do you eat it?"

Smiling indulgently, Anise glanced at the food and took a bite. "I've gotten used to it, I guess. Eating enough protein, calories, and nutrients to replace the liters of blood Doc Belst took every week was a challenge sometimes. It's why they amped up my metabolism so high, so I can quickly replace lost blood. Healing fast is a combined side effect of that and what they did to make me immune. Eat more."

Rain grimaced, but complied. It was then that Anise heard the Chief stride to the train. She turned in time to see Alice grinning at Rain's submission. The soldier chewed angrily and flipped her off. Chuckling along with Anise, she knelt down to open the precious case. Noticing the missing ax, Anise raised an eyebrow. She refrained from asking about it, so she could shove another mouthful down Rain's throat.

Kaplan hollered back from the control room. "Full power. We're leaving!"

"Is she really getting better?" Alice asked, her hands hovering above the injectors.

No hesitation colored Anise's response. "Yea. Absolutely."

"Should we still give her the antivirus?" Alice picked up an injector after the train jolted forward on the tracks.

Anise took a moment to consider and fed the grumbling Rain another bite. Color was rapidly returning to her pale face, the bite on her neck was still an angry red, yet it was healing nicely. The bite on her hand had a healthy scab. What Anise had told the Red Queen was true, Rain's body was compatible with the project's objective: to provide a living cure to the T-virus. It looked like Rain had also inherited the rapid healing benefits. She wondered what else might be improving.

"I don't know for sure how much it would help. It couldn't hurt though." Anise finally responded. "Do you remember how to administer it? Or should I do it?"

"I do, but I'd better give Kap a dose." The train was really moving now. Alice made her way to Kaplan to inject him with the bright blue antivirus.

Anise pushed the last of the protein bar into Rain's mouth and picked up a syringe. She made sure it was fully prepped before finding a good vein on Rain's arm. For the first time, she thanked Belst for teaching her how to properly inject the stuff and making her practice on the project team. The needle smoothly pierced the skin and eased into a vein. Anise squeezed the trigger, emptying the contents into Rain's bloodstream. After pulling out the needle, she put pressure on the injection site to prevent bleeding.

"Good girl. All done," she teased the commando, who had looked away during the procedure. Setting aside the instrument, she reached for her last bottle of juice. She opened it and held it in front of Rain's glowering face, chuckling lightly. "Can you hold this yourself? Or do I need to help you with this too?"

Rain snatched the bottle away and took several satisfying gulps. Swishing a bit in her mouth, she closed her eyes, and her lips actually curled all the way up into a real smile. "Orange juice makes everything better." She murmured.

Teasing the commando was too much fun. "The great and mighty Rain has admitted to liking something?"

The Latina snorted, her smile growing just a little.

"Here. You should drink the rest." Rain had opened her eyes and offered Anise the bottle. When Anise hesitated, Rain pushed it into her good hand and wrapped her fingers around the bottle. The warmth of Rain's hands around her own distracted her immensely. "Drink. You've lost a lot of blood too."

Regaining her focus when the Latina pulled her hands away, Anise lifted the bottle to her lips and drank. Cool OJ felt good going down her dry throat. She finished, put the empty bottle back in her bag, and looked back up at Rain. The look in the other woman's dark eyes was fierce, not angry or offended or happy. It was something Anise couldn't place. It unsettled her, and she licked her suddenly dry lips. Rain stared unblinking into her eyes and began to lean forward. Her touch was light and gentle, as her lips softly caressed Anise's for a brief, delicious moment. Rain sat back and watched the woman in the filthy, stained labcoat react.

Shocked at the kiss, Anise was even more astonished it had been so gentle. Rain gave off the badass aura of a soldier, and she had imagined, that when Rain kissed, it would be rough, dominant, not tender and sweet. She certainly wasn't going to complain. The soldier's delicate kiss had been way better than what Anise had spent her few moments of downtime fantasizing about. "Yum," was her eloquent response.

Rain's lips curled up, and she grew smug and relaxed.

Matt coughed. Both women looked up at his childishly grinning face. He was leaning haphazardly on the wall, watching them. "Enjoy the show?" Rain taunted.

"Well..."

SCREEEAACHHH!

Talons burst through the wall of the train, ripping gouges in the steel and Matt's upper arm. He yelped and jumped back as Anise grabbed Rain, yanking her away from the wall. Alice whipped out a pistol she had probably taken from Spence's dead body. The creature's heavy body clattered across the top of train car.

"What's going on back there?" Frightened, Kaplan yelled at them.

Anise chose a pipe from the bundle just before Kap started screaming. The creature had burst through the control room's outer door and wrapped its insanely long tongue around the man's leg. Kap managed to grab the doorframe to keep from being pulled outside, although he was easily losing the battle. A knife sprouted from the thing's tongue. It let go with a shriek, and Kaplan collapsed to the floor. As Rain bounded over to Kap, Anise could see her empty belt sheath flapping on her belt. The petite commando dragged him into the hold so Alice could shut the connecting door.

Cocking her head, Anise followed the sounds of the creature across the roof. Bastard was heading for the other open door. She got there first and slammed it shut, engaged the lock, then jumped back. The experiment tore into the metal door and ripped it right off its frame. It jumped into the cargo area hissing, exposing its vicious teeth, and whipping its creepy elongated tongue around. It was fucking massive and freaky, with its muscles and brain exposed. The T-virus produced disgusting, irrational mutations in the creatures it was exposed to and they always smelled awful. Anise cursed the idiocy of arrogant Umbrella bureaucrats once again.

Alice fired three slugs into its unprotected brain. She pissed it off, and it coiled its powerful tongue around her leg, yanking her off her feet. Anise slammed her heavy pipe onto its skull. It hissed at her and continued pulling Alice toward its mouth. She whacked it again, and this time she earned a heavy paw backhanding her into the wall. Why was she always being thrown into walls? Dazed, she lost her grip on the pipe. It rolled back toward the fight.

Still struggling with the tongue, Alice had threaded her fingers into the floor's grating. Matt grabbed the bundle of swaying pipes and started running it at the beast. The momentum slammed the heavy pipes into the creature, pushing it back and forcing it to let go of the blonde, who scampered away quickly. Pipes clanked and scattered across the train floor as the creature shook itself to recover. Faster than Anise could blink, it was after her next, crossing the six feet in a single leap and pinning her down. It's huge jaws opened, prepping to chew her face off. Instead, the shaved end of a narrow pipe exploded through its throat.

Blood gushed from the beast's wound. It screeched horribly and thrashed, throwing Rain, who was still holding on, into Alice. The tall woman tried to roll out from under it. Failing that, she was also unable to avoid the clawed talons that sliced into her stomach and out her side. Her own blood splashed to the floor, mixing with the beast's, and she screamed in agony. Through the bright spots dancing in her vision, she saw another pipe, heavier, smash into the beast's chest. It was pushed back long enough for someone to pull Anise out from underneath it, still screaming wildly. Matt stood in front of her with another slim pipe, while Rain hefted the sturdy iron and swung at the experiment again. It dodged the soldier's blow, but met Matt's jab with its shoulder. More blood poured to the floor as the pipe was pulled from his hands. Rain's heavy swings kept the monster from trampling Anise, while Alice attacked with yet another slim pipe that lodged in its ribs.

A fighting bull, Anise's mind decided while trying to ignore the waves of blinding pain. That's what the enraged _thing_ looked like, with bloody pipes hanging from its body. It staggered sideways, howling in pain and anger that its prey was fighting back.

"Open the door!" Alice suddenly yelled from next to Anise's ear.

The floor split open beneath the creature. Its hind paws fell, yet its talons grasped the lip and its tongue shot out and snaked around Anise's thighs. It slipped down and Anise, with Alice who still held her, was yanked with it. "You can't have her!" Rain howled, while slamming heavy iron onto its vulnerable tongue.

Blinking through pain-filled tears, Anise watched Rain keep bringing the pipe down until the tongue let go, retracting into that horrible mouth. Screeching, it scrabbled to get back into the train car as its hindquarters burst into flame from contact with the electric tracks. While Rain caught her breath, Matt hammered away at the beast's right paw, turning it to mush, then began on the other one. Once more, that awful tongue flew out to grab hold of something and wrapped around the dangling ceiling chains. Its other paw was destroyed. Nothing except the tongue was keeping it up off the tracks.

The two doors started moving back up. They mated and easily sliced through the meaty flesh. The creature's haunting shrieks echoed briefly before fading. Anise looked to the front of the train where Kaplan pulled his hand away from the large button on the wall, triumphant. Anise collapsed.


	10. A Heartbeat Away

A/N - Welcome to the end of a fully revised SAWP!

* * *

**Chapter 10**

_**A Heartbeat Away**_

Rain insisted on carrying Anise, whose stomach wound gaped open and spilled her lifeblood in dizzying amounts. "We don't have time to argue. I got her." When Matt hesitated, she snarled at him, "Move!" The train was slowing down per Kaplan's guiding hand. Before it completely stopped, Rain carrying a sobbing Anise in her arms, stepped off and began jogging to the stairs. The others followed close behind. A couple of yards ahead, the blast doors began their descent. They just made it beyond the doors before they met the ground with a resounding boom.

Boom. Ba-boom, boom. Anise foggily realized she was listening to the sound of Rain's strong heartbeat. Focusing on that helped keep her awake.

Climbing up the stairs with Anise's useless weight slowed Rain down, yet she trudged onward, determined. Anise was starting to lose her battle with unconsciousness. She faded in and out, yet was always aware of Rain's heartbeat. During a lucid moment, she noticed she was looking at a chandelier above her. Must be in the Mansion. We made it out, she silently crowed. She heard Rain saying something about a hospital.

She blanked out.

Bright white assaulted her vision. She was cold. Rain's warm body wasn't next to her anymore and neither was her heartbeat. Anise shivered painfully. A mirrored surface appeared and reflected her frightened face back to her. It moved away and a body in a white hazard suit materialized. Her friends were nearby, yelling, fighting, shoving the white suits away. Rain was screaming her name. "Anise!"

She blanked out again.

Now her head pressed against something soft, but it wasn't warm and there definitely wasn't a fucking heartbeat or Rain's sweaty scent. Bright lights overhead blinded her. Voices were talking around her.

"He's mutating... Nemesis program."

"The others?"

"...Quarantine... Blood workups... Infected."

"Her?"

"...Same... Results to me immediately. Reopen... Hive..."

Sleep took Anise again.

* * *

She awoke to a man speaking excitedly. "No sign of infection. Completely immune. There's an unknown enzyme in her bloodstream. Her rate of self-regeneration is off the charts."

Distantly, she heard the sounds of clacking heels, squeaky wheels, machines beeping, and pens scratching on paper. Her abdomen, it felt... numb. "She's waking up."

"Increase her sedatives."

"If we up it again, we could kill her."

"Do it."

Darkness washed over her.

* * *

Someone was screaming. No. There were a lot of someones screaming. Feet pounded on what sounded like tiled floors. Were those gunshots in the distance? And sirens? Her body did not move when she told it to. Eyelids stayed shut against her will. And she was still cold. Dammit. She missed Rain's warmth and reassuring heartbeat.

* * *

"Is she awake yet? We need to get her out of here."

"She's not responding well. They pumped enough sedatives into her to kill a dozen elephants."

"Mmph." She managed to force sound out of her mouth.

"Come on," a voice, a woman maybe, encouraged her. "Fight the drugs, you have to wake up!"

Struggling, Anise tried again, "Wha?"

"You're in the Raccoon City Hospital. Umbrella's had you here since this morning. You have to wake up so we can get you out of here."

"Who?" Her voice felt a little stronger.

"We have to get her out of here now. You might have to carry her." The woman was saying to her companion. "We're friends of those who supported Project Afterthought and we know how important you are."

Finally, Anise peeled her eyelids back. Light streamed into her eyes, making her tear up and blink rapidly. Two heads fuzzed into view above her.

"Hey there. Come on, you can do it. Everything depends on you getting out of here."

Yep, that was definitely screaming in the distance. The feet were all running away from wherever she was. There wasn't anyone else in the room, fuzzy vision aside, she did not hear anyone else breathing in the room. Her friends, where were they? "Rain."

"It's not raining, snap out of it." The woman was getting impatient, and she sounded scared too.

The male voice spoke from a few feet away. His blurry outline was near what looked like a door. "We can't wait anymore. I'll carry her if you clear the way ahead."

Anise didn't have a choice when the man picked her up in a fireman's carry. She decided to call him Buck, it sounded like something big and strong. The woman could be Rabbit, nervous, twitchy. Rabbit opened the door, and the sounds of fear and despair hit her full on. She could smell the all too familiar scent of blood, thick and fresh, on the air.

Buck carried her through hallways and around corners. They went down one set of stairs. The distant screaming was replaced by snarls and groans. No. No fucking way. She refused to believe it was happening again. They had gotten out! The Hive was sealed!

"Shit!" Rabbit's surprised voice rang out, followed a sharp _squish_. Something thudded into the floor. Anise's blurry vision caught the outline of a red covered body. "We're almost there. Let's hope we don't run into anymore of them."

Dammit.

Bouncing on Buck's back, as he pressed into a light jog, was less than comfortable and whatever anesthetics had been in her system were beginning to wear off. It was starting to hurt. She squeezed her eyes shut. Her stomach, where she remembered the beast's talons slicing, began to ache. The smell of burning rubber and plastic, the sounds of fighting and the ever-present screams penetrated the last of the fog in her brain. Her eyes opened, clear now, upon a world in chaos.

Amidst the fires and crashed cars and blood, she saw them. People missing chunks from their bodies or whole body parts. They were covered in blood and gore, and chewing on the sources of those screams. Living, breathing, crying, shrieking, terrified women, men, and children, who were being eaten alive.

Fuck no. This was even worse than the Hive.

"We're here. Come on, come on. Get her in." Rabbit urged Buck on. They crossed over a threshold, and Rabbit quickly shut a massive door behind them. Around them, a throng of people appeared, some armed to the teeth, others in casual business clothes, uniformed schoolchildren peeked from behind legs, and others were covered in little more than pajamas.

Buck set her down on something soft and comfortable. He stepped back and smiled at her. She realized he couldn't have been older than 16, even though his body rippled in strong muscle under hospital scrubs. His face, under a mop of messy blonde hair, was young, smooth and hairless. Rabbit was probably in her thirties, also in hospital scrubs that were streaked with gore. The faces around them stared at Anise.

"Everyone, meet Anise Barrows. Humanity's ultimate defense. Our hope. The carrier of the cure. Anise, meet the Resistance."

Resistance? Fuck, was it really that bad? They looked like they were waiting for something. Was she supposed to make a speech or some shit? She could barely keep her eyes open. Sighing, Anise tried to think of something profound to say.

"Hi." She managed.

Awesome. Just fucking great. She leaned her back on the soft cushions and promptly fell asleep.

* * *

A/N - I hoped you enjoyed the ride. Don't forget to check out my profile for the sequel and companion pieces! Please review if this tickled you in any way! :)


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